Hello, before anything else I'd like you to know a few things. Firstly - this story takes place after CoS. I've read some historical stuff, so that there shouldn't be many mistakes of such matter, yet if you do notice some, please do let me know. Same goes for spelling and grammar mistakes. Secondly - I obviously do not own FMA or anything related to it, except for a 5 feet poster hanging on my wall. And last but not the least - the story hasn't been beta'd yet, so please, don't jump to conclusions or be too disappointed. Thirdly - the story was somewhat based on my other story - 'I'd do anything'. That story was, well, if I had to be honest, failed, too short and too primitive, so I decided to rewrite it and add some action and history in it.
One more thing. I try to keep this story a bit different than the others. It has less (but not none) humour, more action and more historical facts. I also tried to concentrate more on the world around the characters as well as the characters and their emotions and motives behind their actions. If anything seems weird of out of character, please do notify me.
So, concluding, I hope you do enjoy this and point out whatever you did or did not like. Thank you in advance
- Isabella.
1. Roy Mustang
"Closing the Gate was to be a simple task. One objective: obliterate it. Nothing too particular. One snap of my fingers would have been enough. Should have been enough. Yet..."
Roy growled and crumpled the piece of paper he had been writing on. He could hardly believe that he had gotten the idea of writing a 'memoir'. It was a common knowledge that writing your thoughts down on paper made you feel more at ease, yet it did nothing like that for him. He only grew more and more irritated by the fact that he, the almighty Flame Alchemist, was reduced to sitting in an uncomfortable chair and writing some deplorable stories like a foolish teenage girl. And he had no one else to blame but himself. Had he paid enough attention and hadn't been so confident in his skills, maybe he wouldn't have been hauled into the Gate. According to his theory he should have landed in the same place as the Elric brothers. Yet somehow when he had woken up the only blonde he could have seen was a young girl hovering over him and grinning from ear to ear. The same girl he had been living with for two years now.
"Hey, Roy! Packed already?", a high pitched voice was heard and Roy lowered his head. He sighed and stood up from his chair.
Two years ago he had awoken in some old and abandoned street of a city which, as he learned later on, was named Warsaw. The street was littered with various trash giving the most horrid stench he had ever had to smell and there were people staring at him from a distance. A one glance at their faces affirmed him of the reason why none of those paupers came close to him – the fear in their eyes as they stared at his militia uniform made it all too obvious. He had no idea for how long he had been lying there, yet the pain in his back told him it hadn't been a short period of time. He tried standing up, only to realise he didn't have the strength to. Suddenly feeling as if the whole world had been against him, he gave up and closed his eyes trying to gather his thoughts. Yet he was not been granted the time as he was been pulled out of the thoughts by none else but a replica of Winry Rockbell, who spoke to him in an unknown language. A language he had no other way, but to learn during those last two years.
"Yeah, Anna, I've done it some time ago", he answered and spun around to face a blond girl in her early twenties. She wore a simple gray outfit that surely had seen better days and had her hair tied up in a long ponytail. It was her that he had mistaken for the Rockbell girl two years ago. Which wasn't very far from the truth, as her name was indeed Winry Anna Rockbell. Although, she insisted on being called by her second name, having said something about origins and prejudice.
"Oh? Haven't expected you to," she said, surprised. The girl eyed Roy's suitcase which was lying on his sofa-bed (which, as well, had seen much better days) as if to confirm that what he had said was true. Finally she shrugged and continued talking. "So if you're done here come with me. I have to bid my farewell to mom and dad before we leave."
Anna left the room, put a dirty brown jacket on herself and walked out of the small apartment with her seedy baggage. Roy looked around. Grey walls, grey windows, shadows of people walking on the streets under a grey sky. No sign of any mirthful or volatile colours anywhere in sight. He sighed, also put a colourless coat on himself and left the apartment with his own luggage in hand. He soon joined Anna on the street and both of them continued their walk through the city. It was the last day of their life on the, ironically, Warm Street. As far as he could remember there hadn't been a single warm night ever since his arrival. He glanced at the buildings – many of them missing more than one window panel, cracks in the walls visible even from this distance. It was clear that he wouldn't cry over the loss at nights.
They passed a plain exhibition in a shop window which consisted mostly of some alimentary products he was sure they couldn't afford and they turned into a smaller street. Here young and half-naked children were playing together in the puddles of mud. Dirt covered their greyed faces, yet some sparks of simple joy could have been seen in their eyes. Anna smiled genuinely seeing them and reached into her pocket. She drew out a small sack of sweets and gave it to the children. For some of them those were the first dainties they had seen in days. The kids gasped in awe, thanked her vigorously and ran off to the rest of their friends to share the sweets together.
"You've bought those sweets with the rest of your last payment, haven't you?", Roy more stated then inquired, not looking at her.
"Yes", she confirmed his thoughts and began walking again. "I won't need the money once we get to grandma's."
Roy waited for any further explanation, yet it never came. He sighed and focused on their destination, which was in front of him at the moment.
The cemetery.
They went through the old rusty gate and a cold wind blew, making the brown leaves fly up from the ground and swirl in a melancholic dance. The chilly air easily got under their coats and made them shiver in cold. Nevertheless, they wrapped the coats tighter around themselves and continued their walk. At the end of an alley was a small tombstone and a single withered flower in front of it.
"Hello, mom, dad", Anna said and lit an ever-burning fire. She knelt and entwined her hands together. Silent chants went past her lips as she prayed for a long while. Roy stood beside her the whole time reminiscing the people he had lost. He thought of his best friend - Maes Hughes, his other friends from the Military and the people that had died from his hand – the Rockbells, the Ishvallans and even the late Fuhrer. Then his sorrowful thoughts went to Edward Elric and the sin he had committed – the Human Transmutation. Roy's pain was nothing compared to what the child back then had to go through. He sighed and noticed that the girl had already stood up and was looking at him patiently. He nodded his head curtly, shot one last glance at Anna's parent's grave and they left together aware of the fact that they would never set foot there again.
When they arrived at the old train station it was nearly abandoned. The duo stalked through the main hall making the grey pigeons fly away from the rotting remnants of food. Roy grimaced at the forsaken birds, yet he kept on marching side to side with Anna to the ticked office. He slowed down and the girl passed next to him. She went up to the window to order two one-way tickets to Berlin. They sound of Polish language made Roy smile a little. Anna had been born in Germany and had migrated with her parents to Poland after a great war, which was commonly called the World War, because of their political beliefs and English origin. Even after so many years and the death of Mr. & Mrs. Rockbell she preferred to speak German during her conversations with Roy. Therefore he had learnt to speak her language fluently and learnt only the most necessary Polish words and phrases.
The girl smiled at him and waved the tickets. She ran up to him, her blonde ponytail swaying behind her. They glanced one last time at Warsaw before entering the only train at the station. The train, which would take them to a brighter future.
The train left the station as soon as they boarded it. Most of the compartments were cold and rusty, yet unoccupied. They chose a one in the mid section of the train, placed their suitcases on the holders above their heads and sat on the uncomfortable seats. Roy kept glancing at the luggage afraid of the safety of his and Anna's heads. After a few minutes there were still in one undamaged piece, so he focused on the view outside the window instead. They had already left the urban areas of the capital and were now travelling through a forests. The countless dozens of conifer and deciduous trees were not much to keep his nor Anna's interest for long.
"Tell me... what are we to do when we arrive in Munich?", Roy broke the silence. Anna cast him an amused look.
"We'll help grandma, of course", she smiled sweetly. So sweetly it made Roy gulp in anguish.
"And what exactly will we help her with?", he inquired and remembered all the casual work he had to do in order to survive those last two years. He swore that if he had to repair yet another pipe he would burn the forsaken piece of metal instead. Even without alchemy.
"She's a well-known biomechatronics specialist. The works requires quite a precision, but I'm pretty sure you're capable of that," she winked at him and giggled.
Of course during those two years it had been impossible for Roy to remain in celibate. All those German ladies who came to Warsaw to see the 'Eastern Wilderness' were more than pleased to make his acquaintance. Needless to say that Anna, whose room was just on the other side of the wall, was far from being oblivious to those activities. The memories made Roy smirk and laugh a little.
"I'm glad you believe in me", he bowed theatrically, which earned him a full laugh from the girl.
"Yet you've got to be aware that you'll have to put those... activities on hold. Grandma surely wouldn't like to be woken up in the middle of the night by some peculiar noises", she tried to keep her composure, but failed miserably, as she erupted into another giggle.
"Oh, I'm aware of that. But if your grandmother is anything like you told me before I'm quite positive she'll do almost anything to make sure you're the one making acquaintances of young German lads. After all, we don't want you to become an old maid, do we?", he snickered and looked at her in a confident manner.
"Oh, shut it", Anna grumped, her good mood disappearing suddenly. A blush became evident on her face, but she put her nose up high and continued. "It's not my fault I'm not like you, you old womanizer. It's a virtue, not a vice. And you'll see, I shall find myself a good, proper man, who will cherish and love me above all else", she said with such determination that Roy had to try really hard to restrain himself from erupting into a laughter fit. "Besides, you're not the one to talk. You should have married one of those German ladies when you had the chance to. You won't be young forever, you know."
"That's none of your concern", he retorted curtly and became serious. He didn't need another Maes to muse about his love life. That thought made him think of his late best friend for the 2nd time that day, affirming him in the belief that his humour would not come back that evening.
"Oh, so I've found your weak spot", she squinted her eyes and, despite the man's grim face, kept on inquiring. "Is there any specific reason for you to despise the thought of marriage so much?" He cast her an irritated glare, ignoring the question. "Hmm, could it be that the position of your fiancée has already been promised to some fine lady?", Anna smirked, yet kept her ears and eyes wide open for any sign of a hint.
"Don't be foolish", he barked, but abstained from other comments regarding the matter.
"Tsk", the girl muffled a reply. "You know, those women that you've befriended said some things", Anna's voice was more silent now and it lacked its previous playfulness. "Upon their departures in the mornings they would mention your muttering at night. A muttering involving a certain name", the blonde finished her statement and looked intensely at Mustang's face.
"Nonsense", said man grumped. "If there was anyone dear to me it would be I who would know of the fact, not some one-night-standers. Or would you like to correct me?", he countered and paid no further attention to the girl.
"Fine, whatever makes you happy", she said more to herself, the thought of Roy's speculated lover not leaving her mind.
A shrieking noise woke Roy up from his slumber. He groaned and looked around in haze. It was already twilight – the sun had already set and Anna was still sleeping peacefully opposite him. The man slowly stood up and gently put a hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Anna," he shook her lightly. "Anna, wake up." She waved her hand dismissively, yet cracked one eye open.
"What...? We there...?", a huge yawn made it impossible for her to complete the sentence.
"Yeah, I think so", he grinned tiredly. "We should get going before out next train leaves."
"Sure, sure", Anna yawned again and stood up leisurely. Roy took their suitcases and left the compartment. The blonde followed suit.
"Platform 2A, 1 o'clock", Roy read and glanced at his watch. It was barely 20:00.
"1 o'clock? That's in five hours!", Anna whined and sat down on her suitcase, which resulted in the sound of her favourite mug breaking into several pieces under her weight. "Great", she groaned.
"No complaining", the man lectured her good-naturedly. "You've got some money left?", he inquired.
"Yeah", she put a hand into her pocket and showed him some polish coins and banknotes. "I'll have to find an exchange point first, though."
The raven haired nodded and pointed at the nearest bank with a "Wechselstube" sign. She walked there, leaving him to his own thoughts.
They were in Berlin. The situation there was becoming more and more stable each day. The great crisis and hyperinflation had been overcame by Gustav Stresemann and the political situation had been stabilised by president Ebert. Even now, more than half a year after Ebert's death, when Hindenburg became the president of the Weimar Republic, the Reichstag still had the public's support.
Anna ran up to him, bringing the man out of his thoughts. She had a pile of banknotes in her hand. Soon most of the 'rentenmarks' were taken into the other hand.
"Those", she shook the larger amount of money, "are for the tickets. And those", she continued after shaking the other pile and having put the first one back into her pocket, "are waiting to be spent." Roy watched her smile and stalk with her luggage to the nearest open cafe. He took his own suites and walked after her.
The cafe was empty apart from an old waitress and some drunk fellow in the corner. They sat at a lousy table and ordered their beverages.
"You know, grandma's pretty well-heeled, so we won't have to dine in such cheap places any longer", Anna said tetchily yet gleefully. Roy eyed her – and all of a sudden he saw a glance of something that caught his attention. He unexpectedly stood up and dashed to the exit. "R-Roy? Hey! Where are you going?!"
He didn't waste his time looking back at her. The more important issue was in front of him, somewhere behind those forsaken pillars, so close, yet so far away and still out of his sight. He sped up in hope of nearing his target and when he noosed out from the last passage he had almost been spotted. He hid behind the column and carefully peeked from his hideout. A few feet from his stood... himself.
"Sir, it is not wise to travel without an escort at such time", a female voice behind the second him was hear. Roy leaned out more. Behind his other self stood Riza Hawkeye.
"Nonsense, of course I do have an escort", the alternate-Roy eyed Riza and gave her his famous smirk.
Roy looked at his other self. He wore a greenish and greyish military uniform with a high range badge on his forearm. His left eye was not missing, as well as the ever-present smirk. Riza looked the same as he had remembered her – hair tied up, a gun in her hand, concentrated and alert. He seriously hoped she hadn't spotted him.
"Anyway, how are things with Hindenburg going? Or never mind him, how are Stresemann and Luther? The Locarno Treaties consist of any good for us?", he inquired seriously with a dose of leisure.
"Please, excuse me, sir, I know not of their current state", Hawkeye saluted and kept her eyes fixed on a point next to her superior's ear.
"That's alright, lieutenant. You may rest. When does our next train leave?"
"In about three and a half hour, sir", she replied.
"Tsk", he didn't seem pleased. "Inform Armstrong we're in need of an air transportation. We cannot waste more time."
"Sir, yes, sir!", Hawkeye saluted once more and headed to the nearest telephone booth. The alternate Roy sighed. Suddenly he spun around.
"Who's there?!", he shouted. Roy started breathing heavily. He had no idea whether to trust his luck and go meet himself or rather run away. He tried to calm down. "I asked who's there?!", the man bellowed once more. Roy made up his mind. He crept away, as silently as possible. He could hear footsteps behind him, so as soon as he passed the passage, he started to run. He ran into the cafe, in which Anna sat impatiently, sat next to her, grabbed a newspaper she had been reading and hid his face into it.
"You there!", alternate-Roy's voice rang and Roy could swear his heart was making loops in his chest. "Have you seen anyone suspicious?", he demanded an answer.
"N-no, sir, the only one I saw were you, sir!", a voice of an elder man could be heard. The military man grunted and ran in the other direction. "Although I could swear there was something different about you...", the elder said to himself. As his footsteps faded away Roy finally sighed and put the newspaper down.
"What was that all about?", Anna asked worriedly.
"Nothing", the raven haired responded curtly and took a sip of his now cold coffee, his hands still trembling.